Subject: N2994 - SC22/JSG Convener Report - PLENARY AGENDA ITEM

From: William Rinehuls <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 18:27:48 -0400 (EDT)

_______________________ beginning of title page _________________________
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22
Programming languages, their environments and system software interfaces
Secretariat:  U.S.A.  (ANSI)

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22
N2994

TITLE:
SC22/JSG Convener Report for the September 1999 JTC 1/SC22 Plenary -
PLENARY AGENDA ITEM

DATE ASSIGNED:
1999-09-09

SOURCE:
Secretariat, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22

BACKWARD POINTER:
N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE:
SG Convener Report

PROJECT NUMBER:
N/A

STATUS:
Discussion of this document will be an agenda item for the September 1999
JTC 1/SC22 Plenary

ACTION IDENTIFIER:
FYI

DUE DATE:
N/A

DISTRIBUTION:
Text

CROSS REFERENCE:
N/A

DISTRIBUTION FORM:
Def

Address reply to:
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 Secretariat
William C. Rinehuls
8457 Rushing Creek Court
Springfield, VA 22153 USA
Telephone:  +1 (703) 912-9680
Fax:  +1 (703) 912-2973
email:  [email-masked]

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Annual Report Java Study Group (JSG) Convener and ECMA Liaison
To ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22

September 9, 1999

I apologize for being so late with this report. I will not be able to
attend the SC22 Plenary in Berlin. I will be teaching a graduate course in
Programming Languages (as if I knew anything on that topic) at Ohio State
and the term will have begun by then. I am anticipating I will have to miss
some class(es) later in the fall because of Java standardization meetings.

Recommendation:

I think the Java Study Group (JSG) should be continued for another year. As
a study group it exists only year-to-year and will have to be renewed at
the upcoming SC22 Plenary. I do not think this is a controversial
suggestion, but national groups need to consider it and support the
suggestion. I am willing to continue to serve as Convener. The JSG has
operated in a flexible and open way. We should continue in that open
manner. Although things have been quiet recently, I expect discussion will
increase as the ECMA work proceeds.

JSG Meeting in Japan

Since the last SC22 Plenary, the JSG held one meeting - October 26-27,
1998, in Tokyo, Japan. Only delegations from the US and Japan were able to
attend. Recommendations and documents from that meeting are available on
the JSG web site (http://www.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc22/jsg) (for which we continue
to thank Keld Simonson and the Danish Unix Users Group).

As to the first recommendation from that meeting, that the Convener
establish a closer liaison with Sun Microsystems, it is Sun that has
resisted closer cooperation. The other recommendations all indicated (as
have other previous resolutions) that the JSG is willing to work with Sun
in whatever ways are useful to produce an acceptable standard as quickly as
possible.

Sun Turns to ECMA

A few months ago, Sun's PAS submission was stalled and I felt that nothing
was happening with Java standardization and that maybe SC22 we should drop
the topic until something happened. Now that Sun has proposed the work to
ECMA and they have accepted it, something is happening (see
http://www.ecma.ch for current status information). ECMA has established
TC-41 and plans a first meeting for October (after rescheduling from August
and September). I plan to attend.

After that it may be appropriate for national committees to consider
reactions or suggestions in an informal way. At least one national
committee has been encouraging their ECMA and non-ECMA members to work
together on some issues. Standards groups from two different countries have
approached ECMA to consider some way they can participate directly in the
work of TC-41. Many of the participants in JSG represent companies that are
members of ECMA and could serve as an additional communication channel.

I don't know what TC-41's schedule may be, but I don't expect ECMA to take
any action at their December 1999 and maybe not even at their June 2000
General Assembly meeting. Eventually ECMA will submit their Java standard
to ISO/IEC JTC1. SC22 should be prepared and that is a role for JSG. Once
the issue is out for JTC1 ballot, subordinate groups like SC22 and JSG
would not be able to hold meetings on the ballot topic. I think it would be
appropriate for the JSG to hold a meeting before the formal ballot in early
2000 to discuss the work of ECMA TC-41 and what reaction would be
appropriate from SC22. The JSG had a similar role in the consideration and
approval of the ISO/IEC standard for ECMAScript.

There are a number of issues from the previous PAS related discussions. The
evolution/maintenance issue must still be a concern. With previous ECMA
standards that have come into SC22, we have taken different approaches. For
example, SC22 set up a working group for PCTE but left ECMAScript to the
originating ECMA TC-39.

There will probably also be specific technical issues, decisions about the
scope of the standard, relationships with other programming languages and
programming environments, conformance testing, internationalization, and
other topics where SC22 participants have considerable experience.

SC22 will also have to consider how Java work will fit in with its other
work on programming languages.

I have also served as a liaison to ECMA from SC22. I and expect that to
continue, but I think it's important for a larger and more representative
group to meet, consider, discuss and recommend actions to SC22 with respect
to the eventual consideration of a Java standard.

Other ECMA Activities

ECMA is very open about their activities and maintains a web site
(http://www.ecma.ch) from which people can download ECMA standards without
cost. In particular, ECMA has approved a new standard (ECMA-290) for
ECMAScript Components.

Summary

I think the JSG should be continued for another year. I am willing to
continue as the Convener. I am also willing to continue as the SC22 liaison
to ECMA. I plan to attend the ECMA TC-41 meeting in October. The JSG should
consider a meeting in early 2000.

Bob Mathis
Convener, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22 Java Study Group

_________________________ end of SC22 N2994 ______________________________